One of the most difficult cockpit display lighting conditions exists when aircraft attitudes place the sun at the pilots 12 O'clock position, causing his/her iris to close and making it very difficult for them to read instrument panel LCD's. To compensate for this, display manufacturers have, to date, installed high intensity backlights. This requirement drives the power requirements, thermal management and overall system reliability. Additionally, the operator must continually adjust the backlight intensity based on aircraft and sun positions as well as atmospheric conditions.